Kondanna was the first disciple traditionally said to understand the Buddha’s teaching.
Kondanna, known in Pali as Kondanna and in Sanskrit as Kaundinya, had been one of the five ascetics who practiced with Siddhartha Gautama before enlightenment. After Gautama rejected extreme self-mortification, the five ascetics initially abandoned him.
The Buddha later found them at the Deer Park in Sarnath and delivered his first sermon, traditionally called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. At its conclusion, Kondanna is said to have gained the first insight into the Buddha’s path and become a stream-enterer.
The traditional phrase “Kondanna knows” is associated with this breakthrough. The other four ascetics subsequently became disciples, forming the first group of monks in the Buddhist community. Kondanna is therefore remembered as the first human recipient of the Buddha’s teaching after enlightenment.